The Maypole
by seongmi
Summary: Kidnapped in their sleep, and having no idea where they were taken too, will Ranma and Akane be able to escape their captor before its too late?


I know that I should be working on A Starry Night, but I had to write this. My brother kept insisting that I have a scene with Ranma and Akane dancing naked, but I refused to write that into my story. However, his insistence did give me this idea! Hope you guys enjoy it!  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Maypole  
  
By Seong Mi  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The sky over Nerima was a lifeless, drab gray. The sun wouldn't shine through, the clouds refused to part, and the rain was not coming anytime soon. The numbers on the barometer continued to climb as the air increased in moisture. Everything was a sweaty, sticky mess.  
  
The heat was so intense that Akane could not get comfortable. No matter which position she lied in all she ended up doing was tossing and turning. She probably would have had no problem getting comfortable if she was at home in her bed, but that wasn't an option. Instead she was stuck in the middle of nowhere with Ranma.  
  
Gazing to her left, Akane could make out Ranma's form lying on the ground just a few feet away from her. The shadows that encompassed them made it difficult for her to tell if he was awake or asleep, she was pretty sure he was awake though. He may be able to endure a lot of things, but she didn't know of one person who could be in this type of environment and sleep half way decently.  
  
Lost in thought, she rolled onto her back, cradling her head in her arms. They had been stuck in this place for several hours now, and they desperately wanted out. The place had a dead feel about it, as if there were no living creatures anywhere around. That couldn't be though; nature seemed to have created animals for every habitat in the world, so there had to be something here. They probably just couldn't see them because of the continuously overcast skies.  
  
Not only was the lack of creatures bothering her, the air its self was very ominous. True the air was very humid, but the humidity had never really bothered that much before. This was something very different. The air seemed to be stale, as if it had been shut up in an unventilated vault or something. There was no movement, and no wind. All in all, this place gave her the creeps.  
  
Escape was another problem that she couldn't seem to find an answer to. To be able to escape one had to have some idea of where they were and how they got there. Neither she nor Ranma had any clue as to where they might be. The only thing they remembered before waking up here was falling asleep under a full moon during one of their latest training trips.  
  
That led her to the last part of her problem. Who had brought them to this place. One thing was for sure, whoever brought them there had to be one highly skilled martial artist. After his encounter with Saffron, Ranma had gotten so adept at reading peoples ki that he could often sense them from a few yards away. Until now, no one had been able to sneak up on him, yet alone carry him off to a whole different place. The whole situation was very intimidating.  
  
The quiet, stillness of the world around her was starting to wear on her nerves. She needed something other than the problem at hand to occupy her mind, but that wasn't very likely to happen. There was always the option of starting a conversation with Ranma. What would they talk about though? Perhaps they could discuss the beautiful scenery that was surrounding them. Well, at least the conversation would make some noise.  
  
"Hey Ranma, you awake?" Akane asked a little nervously.  
  
She held her breath as she quietly counted the seconds while waiting for his answer. This place was so freakishly similar to one of her recurring nightmares that she wasn't sure if he was really there or not.  
  
"Yeah, I'm awake."  
  
The racing beat of Akane's heart started to return to normal the minute he replied. She was so immensely relieved that he was there with her that she felt like hugging him, but she didn't. The air was so humid that her legs felt like two lead poles. She wasn't going anywhere.  
  
"What did ya want?" Ranma asked after Akane hadn't responded.  
  
Akane didn't quite know what to say; in all honesty she hadn't been expecting him to answer. All of the questions that she had been wondering about over the past year that they had been together faded into the background. Only one subject had been dominating her thoughts the past few hours, so that was what she asked.  
  
"Where in the world could we be?" She mused aloud while she continued to think. "I don't like this place Ranma."  
  
Through the haze cause by the heat, Akane could see Ranma roll to his side so he could face her. A look of worry clouded his features for a second, and then was quickly hidden behind his mask of confidence.  
  
"I wish I could answer that one for ya 'Kane," Ranma answered her in an even tone of voice. "I've been lying here trying to figure out what we should do."  
  
"I know, I've been trying to think of a way to leave this place too," Akane said. "I don't think I am going to be able to leave though."  
  
Ranma's eyes seemed to light up with worry as he focused more intently on her.  
  
"What's wrong Akane?" He quickly asked. "Are you hurt? Do I need to get help?"  
  
Akane tried her best to smile at him hoping to help him relax a bit. If she was right, then he was probably having the same troubles that she was having.  
  
"I can't seem to get my legs to move," Akane said, as if it didn't really matter. "I can get my arms to move a little bit, and I can kind of twist at my waist, but the legs are not moving."  
  
Ranma didn't answer her, but instead nodded his head in her direction. Small beads of sweat began to form on his brow and his body began to move a little. His legs never did move though. After a few minutes of trying, Ranma laid back down to rest.  
  
"So, you can't get your legs to move either," Akane said.  
  
A feeling of dread that she had never experienced before started to creep into her mind. If they couldn't move their legs, then how were the going to leave this place?  
  
"Don't worry, Akane," Ranma said to her. "I will find a way to get to you."  
  
Slowly, Ranma rolled over onto his stomach. Propping himself up on his forearms, he began to claw at the ground with his fingers. After a few seconds Ranma seemed to have found a method of mobility, and started to inch his way towards Akane.  
  
The distance between the pair was no small piece of land to cover without the use of legs. Akane was very flattered that Ranma was making the effort for her.  
  
"See, I told ya I would find a way!" Ranma said, while rubbing his elbows. "You know this place is weird."  
  
Akane pushed herself up into a sitting position so she could look at Ranma's arm. Using his arms to drag himself across the ground had caused some ugly, red welts to appear.  
  
"Everything is weird about this place," Akane said as she gently began to rub around the welts.  
  
"Yeah, everything is weird," Ranma agreed. "Have you noticed that the ground seems to be perfectly flat?"  
  
Akane looked at the ground all around her. The sky was still very overcast, causing dark shadows to cover the land. While she had been lying down, she had noticed that the ground had seemed unusually even. There had been no bumps or random tufts of grass. Carefully feeling the ground around her, she noticed that it wasn't the hard packed dirt that she was expecting. This surface felt very smooth.  
  
"We're not sitting on dirt are we, Ranma," Akane said.  
  
"No, were sitting on a floor of some type," Ranma answered her. "I'm just not sure what it is."  
  
"So, we are definitely not outside," Akane said with a slight shudder in her voice. Their escape would have been easier if their captor had kept them outside.  
  
Akane jumped and almost screamed when she felt something press up against her back. Quickly looking over her shoulder, she noticed that she was now sitting back-to-back with Ranma. She had been so intent of finding the walls of their prison that she hadn't noticed him move.  
  
"Can you see very far into the distance, Ranma?" Akane asked as she let herself relax on Ranma.  
  
"Not to far," he answered after a few minutes, "all I can really make out is a yellowish haze."  
  
"Yeah, same here." Akane sounded a bit depressed. "It seems to be surrounding us, like some kind of a fog."  
  
The pair fell into an uneasy silence as they scanned the horizon, trying to find a means of escape. Each caught up in a world of despair that they would not allow the other to enter, all the while trying to look optimistic.  
  
Feeling something on her leg, Akane looked down. Ranma had reached back and was caressing her leg. For the first time since their arrival in this place, Akane smiled. Gingerly, she reached back and took Ranma's hand in her own. This simple bond brought a great feeling of comfort over the couple. In one symbolic step, they had affirmed to each other that they would be together no matter where they went.  
  
A shadow flitting across the horizon caught Akane's eyes. At first she wasn't sure that she had seen anything at all, but then she could see the dark form of something moving in the distance. Their captor, whoever it was, was not very far off.  
  
"I can see something moving," Akane said in a quiet tone of voice.  
  
"Are you sure?" Ranma answered.  
  
"Yeah, someone is walking back and forth. It's almost like they are pacing," Akane said as she continued to watch the form move.  
  
"Do you think you can move so we can both see?" Ranma asked.  
  
A sudden surge of disbelief filled Akane. She would never be able to understand why Ranma was always underestimating her abilities! Letting go of his hand, she firmly planted her hands on either side of her legs and pushed herself off of the floor. Her movements were so quick that she caught Ranma off guard, almost causing him to topple over. She felt him match her move seconds later.  
  
"If you think you can handle the move, Ranma," Akane said in a dripping sweet voice, "I am going to start shifting to the right." Not one to miss an opportunity, Akane happily jammed her right shoulder into Ranma's back to indicate to him which way she was going.  
  
"Do try to keep up," she said, and started to move before Ranma had a chance to respond.  
  
Behind her, Akane could feel Ranma shake his head at her antics as he hurried to catch up with her. A few stray 'tomboy's drifted her way, causing her to smirk in self-appreciation. She felt considerably better knowing that, even if she did start without telling him, Ranma was struggling to keep up with her.  
  
"What did ya do that for!" Ranma exclaimed as Akane's upper body pushed back on him, almost doubling him over.  
  
  
  
"I don't know that is happening!" Akane cried out as her right hand lifted itself off of the floor, completely against her will. Behind her, she could feel Ranma pushing against her in a vain attempt to keep them both in a sitting position.  
  
Pushing down with all of her might, Akane fought desperately against the unseen force that was pulling her arm up into the air. Try as she might though, she could not regain control of her arm.  
  
Glad to have Ranma to lean on, Akane reached for her offending arm. Halfway there though, she felt a pull on her free arm. Before she could stop what was happening, both of her arms were fully extended above her head.  
  
"I can't pull them down!" Akane yelled at Ranma in the hopes of getting some help, but she could tell, by the look of defeat on his face, that he was not going to be able to do much.  
  
A tug at her waist was her first indication that she was indeed beyond help. Slowly she was pulled into a standing position by some unseen force, and then lifted into the air. A small sigh of resignation escaped her lips as she stopped her struggling. There was no one for her to fight and nothing for her to pull loose from, just the air that surrounded her.  
  
Keeping alert, she tried to survey the area below her as she ascended towards the sky. The yellow haze continued to surround her most of the way up, making it impossible to see anything. Soon though, the sky lightened up considerably, but Akane still couldn't see anything. Instead she found herself having to blink against the sudden harshness of the light. Desperately, she tried to focus on something; the yellow haze had given way to the unbearable glare of the sun though. Akane was forced to shut her eyes against the relentless onslaught of solar beams; she was sure she was looking directly at the sun.  
  
A small moan slipped through Akane's lips as she felt something wrap around her body, starting to squeeze. There was no way on earth it could have been possible, but she could have sworn that they were huge fingers. Her last conscious thoughts, as the four large bands started to apply pressure to her, were of Ranma and how he must feel being stuck in the yellow haze all by himself.  
  
  
  
  
  
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The sound of a bell ringing four times in succession welcomed Akane as she regained consciousness. Feeling stiff from the neck down, she tried to stretch but found the process impossible. Someone had strapped her body from the waist down into a device that resembled a doll stand. Her legs and waist were tied to the device with crudely knotted ropes.  
  
Releasing herself would have been an easy task, if she could have moved her arms. They were still extended above her head. The left one was vertical and slightly in front of her face while the right one was more horizontal and crossed in front of her forehead. In her hands was a mallet of standard proportions. All in all, she looked like she was ready to attack Ranma.  
  
As the fourth bell rung, she started to frantically look around her for Ranma. She strained her neck as far as she could, trying to look in every direction, but could not see him. Silently she prayed that he was safe and back home. Deep down she knew that wasn't the case though.  
  
On the ground in front of the platform she was on, Akane noticed a series of grooves that headed off in two different directions. One set led to a door a few feet away from her, while the other set led off into the surrounding darkness. She started to examine the grooves closely, trying to determine what they were for, hoping that maybe they might lead to an escape.  
  
As soon as the fourth bell finished ringing, the platform gave a forceful jerk causing Akane to reel forward against her restraints. For a brief second she was thankful that her captor had tied her to the stand. She didn't want to experience a fall without the use of her arms or legs to help break it.  
  
Slowly, the platform started to roll forward towards the door. At first, Akane was afraid that she was going to run into the door, but then she saw the mechanical workings by the door and a switch in the groove. Putting two and two together, she realized that the door would swing open well before she reached it.  
  
She watched intently as the gears by the door started to turn, pulling the door out and away from the platform and letting the light spill in. There was no time for Akane to assess her surroundings though. She was through the opening before her eyes could adjust to the light.  
  
Once outside she scanned her surroundings, trying to find a clue as to where she was. A wood stage dominated the space in front of her; in the center of it was a pole with two stiff ribbons hanging down the side opposite her. The grooves that she noticed earlier were also on this stage. They angled off towards the pole, joining a pair of tracks that came from the other side of the stage to circle the pole. Ranma was on those tracks.  
  
Conflicting emotions arose in Akane when she saw him standing on a platform much like her own. The joy of seeing his face again mixed with the anguish of the knowledge that he had not been spared from this degrading fate. She tried to call to him but couldn't find her voice, so instead she let herself be content to just look at him.  
  
His hair looked tousled, like he hadn't combed it for a few days, and the top button was missing off of his red, silk shirt. Like her, his arms were also extended above his head. However his left arm was held out from his body and his right arm was reaching over his head, making him look like he was going to try to grab the ribbons that were attached to the pole.  
  
Ranma reached the pole before Akane did; she was not to far behind him. The placement made it look like she was once again angry with him and chasing him with her mallet. This led her to the conclusion that whoever had set up this sick game new them very well.  
  
Akane watched in fascination as the pair fastly approached the ribbons. Running her eyes down the length of them, she noticed two gray wires that were protruding from their ends. Her heart sank as she realized that they had not been properly trimmed, and would probably cut Ranma's hands when he took hold of them.  
  
The closer they got, the more Akane realized that the ribbons had not been cut to the proper length. They were much too long. Not only that, they were not in the right positions. From what she could tell, Ranma's hands would never touch them.  
  
Just as Akane had predicted, Ranma's hands never once touched the ribbons as he went by. Instead, they tore into his clothing on the side of his leg and his torso. Leaving nasty, red tears in his skin at their passing, and keeping his clothes with them as he passed by. Blood began to seep out of his wounds running in thick, red, rivulets down his body, and pooling at his feet.  
  
Akane squeezed her eyes as she approached the ribbons, dreading the moment their cold steel would puncture her skin. A sudden, searing heat shot up the side of her body, followed by a throbbing pain. She could hear her clothing rip as the metal dug deeper into her body, leaving her feeling weak and feint. When her clothes were finally ripped from her body, she didn't notice. All she noticed was how thick, sticky and hot her blood felt as it ran down her side and splattered on the platform below, forming a gooey, gelatinous mess at her feet.  
  
When they had almost completely circled the pole, the groove that their platforms were traveling on made a loop and sent them back to circle the pole in the opposite direction. Akane could see Ranma cringe as they neared the ribbon again. As the ribbon started to cut into his other side, Akane closed her eyes. She could not stand to watch the horror before her eyes anymore.  
  
Round and round the pole Ranma and Akane went. Each time they would pass by, the ribbon would manage to cut them in a new place, as if it were being bent as it cut them. With each new cut, more of their life's blood would spill out onto the platforms, leaving the flesh on their sides mangled and torn.  
  
Finally, the pain was getting so intense that Akane's sight began to grown dim. She knew that she was going to pass out soon, and greedily reached out for the comfort of the dark oblivion that wanted to encompass her. The last thing she thought before her eyes closed was how she and Ranma looked like they were a part of some sick, sacrificial dance. Sadistically circling round a ceremonial pole, covered in the blood of their latest conquest.  
  
  
  
  
  
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The sun was starting to go down in Nerima as a lone figure stood looking at the clock he had been working on for so long now. He thought he had measured everything out perfectly, but something had gone awry. Nothing was working out the way he had planned.  
  
He pulled gloves onto his hands as he looked at the mess in front of him. Carefully, he pulled the pieces off of the front and wiped them off with paper towels. Laying them aside one by one until only the two main pieces of the clock were left, the boy and girl dolls.  
  
Seeing the shape that they were in saddened him a little, he had worked very had on them. When he had made them he tried to make them look as life like as possible. He had even filled them with a non-toxic gel to give them a more fleshy feel. There was no way he could finish his clock tonight, there was gel everywhere. First thing tomorrow morning he would have to try to clean the gel out of the track grooves. Then he would mend the dolls.  
  
Sighing to himself, he picked up the dolls and walked over to the shelves under the window. On the top shelf was a yellow-tinted, plastic shoebox. Opening the lid, he laid a paper towel in the bottom of the box, put the dolls on the towel, and gazed at his creations. They would be safe in there until he was ready to repair them.  
  
"Gosunkugi, time for dinner!" he heard his mother yell up the stairs. He looked at his dolls on last time before closing the lid. Tomorrow he would fix them, and they would be as good as new.  
  
  
  
  
  
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So did you all enjoy the story? Please let me know! It will only take a few minutes of you time to click the review button and tell me your opinion! ^_^  
  
I promise, I will start working on chapter 16 of oasn now..  
  
seongmi 


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